System for managing sales of goods for vending machines

• US 5,963,452 A
• Filed: 09/09/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabusiki Kaisha Media Marketing Network, Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Tadashi Etoh
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Media Marketing Network, Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Tadashi Etoh
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hiromichi, Hiramatsu, Tatsuo, Sata, Masahiro, Seto, Masahiro, Tomida, Yoshikazu, Mitoh, Hironori, Etoh, Tadashi, Yoshihara, Ryuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Wonki K.
• Application Number:
  US08/925,641
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479.06, 364/479.14, 364/479.11, 364/479.01, 364/479.02, 364/479.03, 364/479.07, 221/2, 221/3, 221/4, 221/9
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

A system for managing sales of goods for vending machines includes a goods control center, a plurality of vending machines, and terminal computers equipped in the respective vending machines. The goods control center includes a host computer for preparing digital data signals as control instructions, and a frequency moderation sub-carrier broadcasting facility as a transmission facility for outputting the digital data signals. Each vending machine has a receiving facility for receiving the digital data signals from the goods control center, and a responding facility. Each terminal computer receives the digital data signals and selectively extracts the digital data as the control instructions necessary for the vending machine to thereby store the digital data necessary for the vending machine in a memory. Each terminal computer controls the vending machine on a basis of the control instructions stored in the memory, obtains goods market information of the vending machine, and outputs the goods market information to the responding facility for reporting the information to the host computer at the goods control center.

Claims

1. A system for managing sales of goods for vending machines, comprising:

a goods control center having a host computer for preparing digital data signals as control instructions, and a frequency moderation sub-carrier broadcasting facility as a transmission facility for outputting the digital data signals,

a plurality of vending machines for selling goods located remote from the goods control center, each vending machine having a receiving facility for wirelessly receiving the digital data signals as the control instructions broadcasted from the frequency moderation sub-carrier broadcasting facility, and a responding facility, and

terminal computers equipped in the respective vending machines, each terminal computer having a memory and receiving the digital data signals through the receiving facility and selectively extracting the digital data as the control instructions necessary for the vending machine where the terminal computer is installed to thereby store the digital data necessary for the vending machine in the memory, each terminal computer controlling the vending machine on a basis of the control instructions stored in the memory, obtaining goods market information of the vending machine where the terminal computer is installed, and outputting the goods market information to the responding facility so that the responding facility reports the goods market information to the host computer at the goods control center.

2. A system for managing sales of goods according to claim 1, wherein said terminal computer obtains out-of-stock information of the goods, which is reported to the host computer whenever one of the goods in one vending machine has been sold out.

3. A system for managing sales of goods according to claim 2, wherein said responding facility is a telephone line connected between each terminal computer and the host computer.

4. A system for managing sales of goods according to claim 3, wherein said terminal computer includes a clock so that when the control instructions include a request of the goods market information at a specific time, the terminal computer provides the goods market information to the host computer at the specific time through the telephone line.

5. A system for managing sales of goods according to claim 4, wherein said control instructions include areas where the vending machines are installed and identifications for the respective vending machines, each vending machine obtaining the control instructions only when an area in the control instructions coincides a location of the vending machine.

6. A system for managing sales of goods for vending machines, comprising:

a plurality of vending machines for selling goods,

a goods control center located remote from the vending machines and having a host computer for outputting control instructions for the vending machines and a broadcasting system,

terminal computers equipped in the respective vending machines, each terminal computer having a memory and a clock, and providing out-of-stock information for a kind of goods sold out in the vending machine and goods market information of the vending machine where the terminal computer is installed, said goods market information including sale information containing a number of sales quantity of stock of each of goods sold by the vending machine, each terminal computer receiving said control instructions outputted from the host computer, storing said control instructions in the memory, controlling the vending machine on a basis of the control instructions stored in the memory, and providing the goods market information including the sales information at a designated time to the goods control center based on the control instructions and the clock installed therein, each terminal computer outputting the out-of-stock information instantaneously.